Enemies of Grace

 

When we think of opposition to Christians, we picture persecution from the outside. But Scripture reveals a deeper conflict — one that rises from within the church itself. This episode examines Paul and the enemies of grace he fought against, tracing their origins and why we still face the same battle today. Resources: The Curse of the Law livinggodministries.net/living_god_ministries/radio_archive/audio_files/galatians_06_curse_of_law_1_6_9.mp3 https://share.google/oPshsgiK3kLD6yhzH

Matthew 7:15-20 What Is The Truth About Fruit Inspecting Christians?

 

Matthew 7:15-20 [15] “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. [16] You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? [17] So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] So then, you will know them by their fruits. Who does Jesus say we will know by their fruits? Where does fruit inspecting of other Christians come from? What does fruit inspecting lead to? Resources: The Sermon on the Mount https://www.livinggodministries.net/living_god_ministries/radio_archive/sermon_on_mount.htm Fruit Inspection https://96tolife.blogspot.com/search?q=Fruit+inspection+&m=1

Rebuilding What Was Destroyed

 

Galatians‬ ‭2:18‬ ‭ For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2:10‬ They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do. Is there a difference between the Mosaic Law and the commands of Jesus? Are you motivated by outside forces or a changed heart? Resources: https://96tolife.blogspot.com/search?q=Rebuilding&m=1 https://www.livinggodministries.net/living_god_ministries/radio_archive/audio_files/galatians_14_die_to_the_law_2_17_19.mp3

What does it mean to fall from grace?

 

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love." Galatians 5:1-6

What does it mean to fall from grace?

Is this about losing your salvation?

Who is Paul addressing in this verse?

Resources: 96toLife

https://www.livinggodministries.net/living god ministries/radio_archive/audio_files/galatians_33_faith_through_love_5_1_6.mp3

Uncivil Discourse

Recently, I watched a video of a Christian pastor, John MacArthur, where he was listing many of the verses supporting that salvation in Jesus Christ is by grace. However, I know for a fact that he teaches Lordship Salvation. This is a belief that I say teaches a works-based salvation. MacArthur writes on his website:

"There are many articles of faith that are fundamental to all evangelical teaching. For example, there is agreement among all believers on the following truths: (1) Christ's death purchased eternal salvation; (2) the saved are justified by grace through faith in Christ alone; (3) sinners cannot earn divine favor; (4) God requires no preparatory works or pre-salvation reformation; (5) eternal life is a gift of God; (6) believers are saved before their faith ever produces any righteous works; and (7) Christians can and do sin, sometimes horribly.

What, then, are the distinctives of lordship salvation? What does Scripture teach that is embraced by those who affirm lordship salvation but rejected by proponents of "easy-believism"? The following are nine distinctives of a biblical understanding of salvation and the gospel."

Without going deep into what he has written, I want to highlight two things he says. One is that all believers agree that "Christ's death purchased eternal salvation." No, it did not. The death of Jesus Christ doesn't save anybody. His death makes salvation possible. But, salvation is the restoration of the life of God made available because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Secondly, he uses the term "easy-believism." Regarding, easy-believism MacArthur's website says, "The problem with easy-believism is not that it will keep God's elect from getting saved, but that it allows people who are not genuine Christians to live comfortably with a false assurance." In my opinion, this slanderous term is thrown out there to intimidate anybody who dares question anything about Lordship Salvation. Regardless, when you say salvation is Jesus dying for our sins and that you are in danger of living comfortably if you don't submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, these statements open doors to insert legalism. When you don't understand living by faith in the indwelling Holy Spirit, all you are left with is living by works in response to rules designed to modify your flesh. 

But, I digress. My point in sharing this is that I made the following comment on the video:

"But, MacArthur believes in Lordship Salvation which is a works-based salvation. Go figure." 

This struck a nerve with the individual who posted the video who goes by the name Solus Christus. Here is what followed.

Solus Christus: You gather that he believes in a works salvation after watching this? No he doesn’t. When we are born again, one of the fruits that will manifest in our life is a full commitment to the Savior. MacArthur teaches that no one is capable of making this Lordship commitment until after the Lord has granted them salvation.

Me: @Solus Christus  I believe that he does. I have my evidence. He does believe in Lordship Salvation. So, at best, he is double-minded.

Solus Christus: Present your evidence then

Solus Christus: Then on top of this video I’ll present to more evidence that you are a liar. Your theology is bad off if you can watch this short and still say he preaches a works salvation. Your confused and deluded clearly.

Me: Thanks for the love. Calling your brother in Christ a liar before giving him the opportunity to present the evidence you requested says more about your beliefs, "theology" and relationship with Jesus Christ than it does mine. I forgive you either way. But, to answer your question, MacArthur on his GTY website mentions saving faith results in "a personal commitment to the person of Christ." But what entails a commitment? What are the parameters of it? Who is the one who determines if this commitment is genuine or adequate? This is where the works enter the picture. What is the list of behaviors to commit to? What are the blessings for "obedience" and penalties for "disobedience?" MacArthur won't tell you the list because by doing so, it is proof that he is promoting works/legalism. It is grace-covered law being passed off as the Christian life. Christians live by responding to the leading of the Holy Spirit, not through behavior modification in response to rules designed to manage our flesh. Grace and peace, my friend.

Solus Christus: Again, you are a liar from hell. He didn’t say that and out of love you need to repent. I have the GTY app. Give me a specific source. That website and app is huge and just to say it came from that is too broad to be considered as evidence. Why do you do this? You are not a brother if you believe in what’s false. It’s not loving for me to call you a liar, but that’s exactly what your doing with Pastor John right now in this comment feed. You raving hypocrite! Give me a specific source! You won’t find it because you are lying! And it would contradict this clip and about 2 or 3 thousand other sermons I’ve heard him preach on this topic. The devil hates the truth and is working through right now. So go get me real evidence or repent and recant from this utter blasphemy that your doing here.

Now, I gave him the evidence which I will share right here and I never said the video was in error as I was accused of doing. I admit, I probably should not have said anything, but I stand by my claim regarding MacArthur and Lordship Salvation. It is fine to disagree but to launch right into name calling before giving me a chance to give my evidence shows how many so-called Christians can't even be civil towards each other before devouring one another like the scripture warns. Either way, I pray God can use this in some way to minister to all parties involved. Grace and Peace. 

Hold the Vegetables

In Romans 14:1 we read, "Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters." One of the things missed in this verse is who it is that has weak faith. Given the context of the passage, the one who has weak faith is a person who eats only vegetables. While most of us don't argue about whether or not we should eat only vegetables, we have had experience with those of weak faith trying to put us under their bondage. Yes, it is bondage to believe that you should only eat vegetables given all the foods at your disposal to eat. However, while it may not be vegetables, the subjects that take the place of vegetables are things like baptism, church attendance, tithing/giving, asking forgiveness, and prophecy. This list is not all-inclusive, but you get the point. Just like the person who believes that eating anything other than vegetables is a sin, so it is with those who believe you have to share their views about these other subjects. They end up causing division in the church because those who do not agree with them are treated worse than unbelievers. For example:

If you believe that a Christian is not subject to living under the law, those that do will say things like, "Talk about easy believism and I am not saying that is a good thing." This is nothing more than one Christian putting down another in a self-righteous quip. This leads to offending another Christian who believes differently. The response to this comment was, "You are very obsessed with the Law. God isn't ... Hell is full of Law keepers and commandment keepers, while no one who is born again will ever go to hell." Both individuals believe they are preaching the truth. The problem is that neither one of them is acting in love. They are sacrificing their fellow Christian on the altar of beliefs because winning the argument is more important than keeping the peace. No doubt they have forgotten the warning of Paul who said, "If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other (Galatians 5:15)." How would these individuals answer the question that Paul asked?

"Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand (Romans 14:4)." All we see here is Christians judging each other over disputable matters. It all starts with being obsessed with the law. When you believe another Christian is obligated to believe or behave as you do or else they are worthy of condemnation then you are the one worthy of judgment. Scripture is clear that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)." But, we condemn each other to the point where fellowship and unity are lost. We tend to treat each other the way in which we believe God is treating us. So, if we believe we are under the law then we believe that we are under the "ministry that brought condemnation (2 Corinthians 3:9)." Therefore, it makes sense that people who believe we are under the law will condemn those who believe in things like eternal security. They fear God will condemn them for their lack of obedience and their fear turns into condemnation for those who disagree.

When we were children we were told to eat our vegetables because they were healthy for us. Unfortunately, the poor taste of vegetables combined with our natural rebellion as children led to numerous conflicts with our parents. However, as you age and care more about your health, you realize the value of eating vegetables. This change of heart is what changed your mind about vegetables. When you encounter people who don't see things as you do, the memory of how you came to like vegetables motivates your behavior toward them. You don't condemn them for not eating vegetables, you give them the reason why you enjoy vegetables and trust this information will persuade them. When it comes to preaching the Gospel, what is the best tactic? Do you tell unbelievers they are going to hell for not accepting Jesus Christ or what persuaded you to accept the Lord? If sharing the Gospel with unbelievers is treated with grace, why can't we treat each other with that grace when it comes to disputable matters?

Jesus is Exalted. We are Exhausted

"Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?" Luke 18:26

Jesus Christ gave His famous example of a camel going through the eye of a needle to illustrate the difficulty of getting into Heaven on the merits of one's own works, when the disciples asked, "Who then can be saved?" It is the moment that all of us need to experience. The Kingdom of God is accessible only to those who accept the grace and mercy of God found through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus told the people that their righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. He went on to say that a person must be as perfect in their behavior as God, the Father. Therefore, the reaction of the disciples is perfect. It has been nearly two thousand years since Jesus said these words, and many Christians have yet to reach that point of asking that question about who can be saved? There are hundreds of denominations and religions underneath the banner of Christianity. It has been said that you can separate the denominations by the laws they put themselves under. The Bible is clear about how to obtain salvation. "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9)." Salvation is putting your faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Plain and simple. However, accepting gifts is difficult for people to take because they have a problem with taking "charity." Instead, they want to "earn" everything or "payback" the giver for their expense. The end result is all these denominations and sects permeating Christianity.

Jehovah's Witnesses

The Jehovah's Witnesses teach that salvation is earned by being baptized as a Jehovah's Witness, and then most followers must earn everlasting life on earth by "door-to-door" work." Furthermore, they believe that salvation is limited to 144,000 "anointed ones." Unfortunately, as of the time of this writing, there are almost 9 million adherents to the religion. There is going to be a lot of unhappy people when it is all said and done. However, they have a bigger problem than that. They believe that Jesus is not God. Until they address this error, there won't be any of them in Heaven, much less 144,000.

Latter-day Saints (Mormons)

What do Mormon's believe about salvation? They teach that a person is resurrected by grace, but saved by works. This is called being "exalted to godhood." This includes being faithful to church leaders, Mormon baptism, tithing, ordination, marriage, and secret temple rituals. And there is no eternal life without Mormon membership. Similar to the Jehovah's Witnesses, they also have the wrong Jesus. They believe that Jesus is a separate god from the Father. They teach Jesus was created as a spirit by the Father and Mother in Heaven and is the "elder brother" of all men and spirit beings (including Lucifer). Continuing, they believe Jesus' body was created through a sexual union between the Father and Mary and that Jesus was married. It goes on, but you get the picture. These are untrue statements about nearly everything the Bible teaches. It will not save them no matter how hard they work at it.

Seventh-day Adventism

Seventh-day Adventists teach that salvation is by grace, but that it is maintained by keeping commands and repentance. Sabbath (Saturday) observance is believed to be the sign of the seal of God and that Sunday worship is the mark of the beast. Interestingly enough, Saturday worship is a violation of the Sabbath. One of their founders, Ellen White, taught that Jesus Christ was exalted by God the Father to be his Son. This act provoked the jealousy of Lucifer and started a war in Heaven. Jesus is believed to be our example to prove that we can live sinlessly. They also think that the death of Jesus Christ did not finish the work of forgiveness, and many adherents do not believe in his deity. Why call yourself a Christian if you do not believe what the Bible teaches?

Catholicism

It is difficult to determine what Catholics believe about salvation. The answer could vary depending on who you talk to. Even when reading what some Catholics say about salvation, it can be hard to figure out. For example, one apologetics source writes, "The Catholic Church does not now, nor has it ever, taught a doctrine of salvation by works…that we can “work” our way into Heaven." Yet, in the very next sentence, it says, "Additionally, nowhere in the Bible does it teach that we are saved by “faith alone.” Although untrue, which is it? Faith alone or not? To further complicate their belief, we read, "The Bible says very clearly that we are not saved by faith alone. Works do have something to do with our salvation." So, it is faith alone one time, and then works have something to do with our salvation. The same paragraph then says, "As Catholics, we believe that we are saved by God’s grace alone. We can do nothing, apart from God’s grace, to receive the free gift of salvation." That is great until "Catholics believe a response of faith and works is necessary…" The seesaw is non-stop. Perhaps, this is an example of the "lukewarm" church God talks about spewing out of His mouth in Revelation. 

Protestants

There are too many denominations to address what Protestants teach about salvation. However, much like it is with Catholicism, they teach what has been sarcastically called "Levitical Light." That means they teach various forms of legalism cloaked in grace language. From my experience, they teach that salvation is grace through faith, but when it comes to your life as a Christian, it is a life of obeying and repenting to the laws, rituals, sacraments, rules, and so on each denomination teaches. These include, but are not limited to, baptism, tithing, church attendance, accountability groups, ministry work, repeatedly asking God's forgiveness, and more. All of it designed to keep you busy and barren. The hope is that through all of this, a person will become more like Jesus Christ. In reality, all that happens is that you realize just how unlike Jesus you are and, in many cases, you feel further away from Him than when you began. 

Those who "can be saved" are the ones who realize that all of these religious and denominational regulations are just man-made obstacles that prevent people from getting to know their God. Too often, a person gauges their relationship with God based on their ability or lack thereof to navigate all of these religious and denominational demands put on them. It is why people believe that a person can lose their salvation. People are led into a life of comparison with other Christians as they judge each other according to whatever laws they've agreed to live by. Others will "walk-away" from the faith. Religious pride is fueled as some falsely believe they have found a way to be obedient to God. Witnessing devolves into recruiting people to church instead of giving a reason for the hope you have in Jesus Christ. God did not come to this earth to teach us how to live. He came to this earth to teach us about the One who gives us life! 

Questions for Spiritual Decline

"To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—  to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." Jude 24-25

One of the main indicators of legalism is when a pastor or church leader asks questions that focus on what you are doing for God rather than on what Jesus Christ has done for you. The following five groups of questions were written by a pastor and presented to his congregation prior to his message this morning. The title of the paper was "Questions for Spiritual Growth." Question #1: How are you actively learning about who God is? What are some ways you can practically know Him better this year? Question #2: Think back on God's faithfulness over the last year. Write down some of "the wondrous works He has done." Question #3: How well do you know God's promises for the future? Which promises can you meditate on to fuel your faith in God this year? Question #4: In what areas has your forgetfulness led to a lack of thankfulness? Write down five things you are thankful for. Question #5: In what ways are you remembering the wrong things? What hurts, disappointments, failures, self-efforts, etc. are you holding on to? What promises of God can you focus on instead? While some of the questions are okay, the general theme in them is one where the individual is operating from a position of lack in their relationship with the Lord. To "actively" learn about who God is, you have to remove the barriers you believe separates you from Him; namely the forgiveness of sins. If you don't believe you are forgiven, you will struggle to get to know God, if at all. You will always have to focus on getting right, clean, in good standing, or whatever you want to call it, before approaching God. With the focus on you then God's faithfulness will be seen in relation to the positive events of your life you believe God rewarded you with for your works. Just the fact that you are asked to fuel your faith by focusing on God's promises for the future means there are things you don't have from God and must find a way to somehow obtain. What five things will you be thankful for when your life as a Christian is based on promises not yet yours? The last question is the logical byproduct of a life consumed with your behavior and not knowing what you already have been given by God through your faith in Jesus Christ. Remembering the "wrong things" is why you are holding on to "hurts, disappointments, failures, self-efforts, etc." It will only lead to your spiritual decline as your life in Christ is defined by you trying to fill the emptiness you are experiencing in your walk with Jesus.

In the book of Jude, we are clearly reminded that God, in Christ, is the one who "keeps us from stumbling" and presents us "before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy." In other words, it is all about Jesus and not about us. This truth allows you to focus on all the promises of God you have already received; namely that you are completely forgiven, unconditionally loved, totally accepted, holy, righteous, sanctified, justified, assured of your salvation, and more. The byproduct of all this is that you can rest from your works and be thankful for His. When you understand your identity in Christ the "Questions for Spiritual Growth" will change significantly. Question #1: What is preventing you from knowing about who God is if He is not counting your sins against you? How does knowing you are forgiven allow you to know Him better? Question #2: How do you define God's faithfulness? Write down some of the wondrous things you have in Christ. Question #3: How well do you know your inheritance in Christ? How does knowing that fuel your faith moving forward for the rest of your life? Question #4: How can you give thanks in all circumstances knowing your identity in Christ? Question #5: In what ways are you believing things that aren't true? How are these false beliefs preventing you from resting in the promises of God? I hope you can see the difference in these questions. You can't grow spiritually without a firm foundation of what you already have in Christ; the promised inheritance of God you already possess. Knowing all of this is the difference between faith and works. It is the difference between grace and legalism. It is the difference between operating from a position of lack and operating from a position of abundance. The challenge is to ask yourself, "Do you know who you are in Christ?" If you do, the next question becomes, "What are you believing that has you living like a "foolish Galatian"? "You foolish Galatians! ... Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh (Galatians 3:1,3)?" Legalism forces you to "finish by means of the flesh." The Spirit of God will have no bearing on your life because you will only have eyes on yourself. Which questions are you answering? Your relationship with Jesus Christ is riding on how you answer. You can grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord or you can spend the rest of your life in spiritual decline as you try to obtain those things you have already received from Him. The choice is yours.

Should Christians?

"You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial." 1 Corinthians 10:23

I stumbled across a YouTube video called, "Should Christians Listen to Secular Music?" As someone who has answered these types of behavior-oriented questions before, I watched it. It wasn't long before my suspicions about the answer given by the pastor were realized. The answer given was one focusing on asking questions about the music. Questions like, "Is the music promoting an ungodly message?" "What message is this sending to unbelievers?" "Is this music hindering my spiritual growth?" "Is the music I support causing other Christians to stumble?" "What is your spirit telling you about this music?" When I saw all these questions suggested to ask in order to determine if the music is okay to listen to, I could not help, but notice how this is just putting somebody under the law and making the Christian walk into Christian work. When the question begins with "Should Christians" the answer often contains legalism. If you're concerned about what kind of music somebody is listening to the question should be, "Why do you partake in this type of entertainment?" Or, "What is this form of entertainment giving to you that you don't believe you have in your relationship with Jesus Christ?" Otherwise, this just comes across as an opportunity for condemnation that no Christian should be subjected to. We are free to listen to secular music, but is it profitable to do so? But, why stop at secular music? If you do an internet search on "Should Christians," the list is endless. You will come up with questions like "Should Christians celebrate Halloween?" Should Christians eat pork?" "Should Christians get tattoos?" "Should Christians do yoga?" You get the point. Romans 8:5-8, says, "Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God." Too often this passage is looked at from the standpoint that to set your mind on the flesh only means that it applies to unbelievers looking for ways to indulge their flesh in sin. However, it can also apply to Christians who are continually looking for ways to restrain their flesh in an attempt to avoid sin. In either case, the focus is on your flesh and cannot please God.

While many Christians are afraid to acknowledge it, we are free to listen to things like secular music as well as the other things listed. If we are not allowed the choice to engage in activities that some deem inappropriate or, dare I say, sinful, then we are not free in Christ. For those Christians that don't agree with this, their first response is often to accuse people of giving a license to sin. Now, I am not saying that sin is okay. It is not. In fact, it is so terrible that it required the death of God as payment for it. Nor am I encouraging people to listen to secular music, eat pork, participate in Halloween and so on. What I am advocating is to look deeper when you are concerned about the activities of another person, Christian or otherwise. The Bible says that we are allowed to do anything, but not everything is good or beneficial for us. While there are some things that are obviously not good or beneficial for a Christian to engage in, there are things that are more of a matter of preference than anything else. I have always thought that if somebody is asking should they do something, they have their answer. If they are having doubts, they are probably looking to have their doubts confirmed. The other side of Romans 8:5-8 is that those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit and that mind finds life and peace. Having your mind set on the Spirit means you are looking at things from God's perspective. To God, you are forgiven of all your sins. Therefore, there is no law for you to violate that would lead to you being punished for that violation. Furthermore, because you are forgiven, you are now able to receive the unconditional love and total acceptance that God created you to receive through faith in Jesus Christ. When you have reached the point that you are beginning to experience this in your walk with the Lord, you will then realize that you no longer want to do many of the things that Christians ask should they do or not. You slowly begin to lose interest in those things. This result is you have a form of peace because you are experiencing your new life in Christ, in most cases, for the first time as a Christian.  When you have set your mind on the flesh you will have to set your mind on God's law. When you are setting your mind on God's law to control your flesh you are being hostile to God because you will never be able to get your flesh to submit to it. Should Christians set their minds on the flesh or on the Spirit? Your answer will set you free in Christ or put you in bondage to your flesh.

Come As You Are

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

The call goes out to all the lost who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior to "Come as you are," because Jesus loves you. Unbelievers are reminded, "You don't clean yourself up to come to Jesus. You come to Jesus and He cleans you up." The main reasons that people sin are because they are looking for unconditional love, total acceptance, meaning and purpose to life in the world and not through a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. The phrase, "Come as you are" is not found in the Bible, but scriptures do imply that such a message exists. As one Christian writes, "In Joel 2:32, where the prophet is declaring the terrible judgments of the Day of the Lord, God’s offer of deliverance is open to “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord.” In Isaiah 1:18, God offers the invitation to come, though your sins are as scarlet, and He will make them white as snow. Revelation 22:17 is an open invitation: “Come! Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” In these and other verses, the clear implication is that, even though we are sinners, God desires us to come to Him as we are, so that He can cleanse us." The idea of God's complete and total acceptance is an offer you would think anybody would accept. And many people do so every day. Unfortunately, many Christians who say "Come as you are" to Jesus also believe that if a person doesn't have some sort of expectations put on their life after accepting Jesus Christ as their savior, then they will fall back into the same lifestyle they lived prior to salvation. They will say things like, ""Come as you are” is sometimes misunderstood and misapplied in today’s church. Those churches identified with the emerging/emergent church or hipster movements, among others, sometimes take the grace of God and turn it into licentiousness (Jude 1:4) by teaching that it makes no difference how you live, as long as you believe." While there are no doubt people who have turned the grace of God into a license to sin, the grace of God is not an either/or proposition. Too often, "Come as you are" turns into "Come as you are, now change or else." The loving, forgiving, inviting, graceful and accepting Jesus Christ all of the sudden changes into a demanding, overseer who threatens to remove His love, forgiveness, grace, and acceptance from you if you don't "Change who you are" at a pace acceptable to Him and His people. It is a sort of bait and switch that leaves many Christians exhausted and disenchanted with the Christian life.

But, is this true? Is the Christian life a bait and switch of sorts where God accepts you as you are, but then turns the tables on you if you don't clean yourself up and live right? No. The Bible says, "But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith (Galatians 3:11).” What is living by faith? It is living your life in response to the truth that God is revealing to you. In other words, the call to "Come as you are" doesn't change. Rather, it takes on new meaning once you are in Christ. Instead of, "Come as you are, " it is now, "Live as I will make you." You are still loved, accepted, and forgiven. Only now, you have the indwelling Holy Spirit to help lead and guide you through life. This is not a license to sin by going back to your old way of life that destroyed you and led you to come to faith in Jesus Christ. It is permission to allow God to change you from the inside as He meets the deepest desires of your heart for unconditional love, total acceptance, meaning and purpose to life. Your outward behavior may not change immediately, but your heart will. And, in time, your behavior will begin to show on the outside, what God is doing on the inside. Instead of living a life focused on avoiding sin, you will live a life focused on Jesus Christ. This, in turn, will lead to the diminishing of sin in your life as a side effect of your faith because you no longer want to live life the way you did prior to your faith in Jesus Christ. You will discover the difference between living a life in response to laws designed to get your flesh under control and living a life in response to receiving the love of God in the depths of your soul. It is the difference between law and grace. You can tell if you are under the law if you believe God's love for you is conditional on your behavior. If you believe that your sins separate you from God or that receiving His blessings is linked to your ability to live up to certain standards (i.e. sinless living, giving, church attendance, etc), then you are not living by grace. If you are living under the constant scrutiny of fellow Christians who are always inspecting your life and judging it up against the perfect standard of God, then you are not living by grace. If you are constantly living under the threat of being out of fellowship with God, missing out on His blessings, that God will turn His face from you, that you are robbing God for not giving enough, or you can lose your salvation, you are not living under grace. The Bible tells us in Romans 8:38-39, that nothing can separate us from the love of God. That includes yourself and your behavior. The Christian life is not a life of obedience and repentance under threat of punishment or promise of rewards. The Christian life is a life of learning to trust in and depend on God to live His life in and through you. All you need to do is rest in that truth and continue to receive God's love. It is true to come as you are to Jesus Christ. But, rest assured, you won't stay as you are as He begins to complete the work He began in you.

Black Widow Christianity

"If you have died with Christ to the world’s way of doing things, why do you let others tell you how to live? It’s as though you were still under the world’s influence. People will tell you, “Don’t handle this! Don’t taste or touch that!” All of these things deal with objects that are only used up anyway.  These things look like wisdom with their self-imposed worship, false humility, and harsh treatment of the body. But they have no value for holding back the constant desires of your corrupt nature." Colossians 2:20-23

A Black Widow, similar to the spider of the same name, is a term given to wives who murder their husbands. Most often these women will commit their crimes by poisoning the food of their victims. For example, one woman attempted to kill her husband "by placing [antifreeze] in multiple beverages to be consumed by her husband." Another lady tried carrying out her evil deed "by putting eye drops into [her husband's] water for several days." A third woman attempted to kill her husband when she "proceeded to poison her husband’s glass of milk." While it is obvious, but may go unnoticed, the means by which these women carried out their plan was through deception. They would mask the poison they were using by placing it inside an otherwise harmless food item. The antifreeze was mixed into "several beverages." The eye drops were put into water. And the last lady put the poison into her husband's milk. The men were unaware of the damage that was being done to them. Within the church, there is a form of deception not unlike what these men experienced that is slowly killing the faith of many Christians. I stumbled across an article titled, "Are Narcissists Ruining the Church?" The article defines a narcissist as having "excessive interest in oneself." The narcissist will "tend to also have a lack of empathy for others simply because their focus is on themselves." Narcissism is said to be a "mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance and a deep need for admiration." This so-called mental disorder will lead the narcissist to things like being so busy and consumed with one's own agenda that they will be left with questions like, "What if my husband had needed to speak to me in the morning and all that I had time for was a very quick goodbye? What if I cross paths with a polite stranger that needs my help in some way and I don’t even see them? How can I help anyone else if I’m so busy with my tasks and duties?" Thus, they come to the conclusion that, "Simply thinking too much about myself and my plans is enough to ruin the church." While this article may be true in that there could be narcissistic and self-centered people who are so consumed with themselves that they have forgotten to focus on the needs and wants of others, I don't believe it is narcissism in the church that leads to people having an "excessive interest in oneself." It is legalism, masked in grace, that is doing this.

In Colossians 2, the Apostle Paul takes time to list out a few behaviors that are evidence of someone who is influenced by legalism (my conclusion). The behavior that sticks out the most to me is "harsh treatment of the body." This harsh treatment of the body can take many forms. It could be the extreme version practiced by Martin Luther who, according to one source, "plunged into prayer, fasting, and ascetic practices—going without sleep, enduring bone-chilling cold without a blanket, and flagellating himself. As he later commented, "If anyone could have earned heaven by the life of a monk, it was I."" But, the most common form it takes is simply by people being so focused on their behavior that they rob themselves of the joy of their salvation. Nearly every Christian is taught and believes how much God loves them, how they are forgiven of their sins and how nothing will separate them from God. God, in essence, is that spouse who loves them unconditionally. Yet, this stated belief is masking the poison that is truly being taught to them and that they are believing; that the grace of God is contingent on their behavior, their works, their ability to live a certain way, etc. They believe that the goal of the Christian life is to stop sinning and involve themselves in so much Christian activity there is little time for much else in their lives. These people are not narcissists, but they do display many of the traits of a narcissist. They tend to lack empathy for others because of their focus on themselves. How can you understand and share the feelings of another when all you are consumed with is your own circumstances and how you feel about them? Do you have time for your spouse or the polite stranger when it is always about you? And even if you take time out for these people, is it done out of sincere love for these people or out of your duty to God or your church and what you can get for behaving that way? You cannot help anybody else because you are so busy with your religious tasks and duties. You become cold, judgemental, unloving, bitter and critical. Why? Because you will end up treating others the way you believe God is treating you. You may say you love God and God loves you, but deep down you don't believe it because you aren't living up to the expectations no matter how hard you try. You will discover, as the Apostle Paul said, nothing is "holding back the constant desires of your corrupt nature." The more you try the worse it gets. That is the end result of letting others tell you how to live. If this describes you, it is time to stop, rest and remember it is Jesus Christ who lived the life you could not so that raised from the dead, He could live His life in and through you. Get your eyes off of yourself and on to Jesus Christ. You are married to the Lord, not to a pastor, teacher, organization or body of believers. Quit taking the poison from someone who claims to love you, but is killing your spirit and rest in the One who truly loves you and whose Spirit lives in you.  "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20)." Amen!

Mean as a Hornet

"For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!" Galatians 5:13-15

In Galatians chapter 5, the apostle Paul is writing about Christian liberty in Christ, love being the fulfillment of the Law and walking in the Spirit. Along the way, he takes the time to warn the Church about falling from grace, being hindered from obeying the truth and avoiding the works of the flesh. While he is encouraging Christians to stand for the truth of the grace of God, he points out that those who will try to undermine their faith, surprisingly, will be those from within the body of Christ. For example, I recently took the time to view the social media page of a ministry that meant a lot to me in my early years of being a Christian. The ministry teaches what is referred to as the "finality of the Cross" and the "reality of the Resurrection." In other words, they proclaim that the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross forgave all the sins of mankind, past, present, and future and that salvation is the restoration of the life of God made possible through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the nearly 20 years that have passed since I grabbed a hold of this message and proclaimed it, the majority of opposition to it has come from those within the body of Christ. It was not any different on this ministry's page.  Under a post where they were promoting some products, a Christian who opposed the message wrote, "...when did the Apostles or Jesus EVER sell the gospel? I see your motivation is to sell and push your products for the false doctrine that you teach." When some supporters of the ministry challenged them on their accusation, they replied with, "You must embrace the same abomination that he does." After being called a "legalist," they shot back with, "I follow God's Word the way it's written. I don't wrangle the scriptures to make them mean what I want them to mean," " If you were a "Christian" you wouldn't be on this site," and, finally, "A Legalist: One who obeys God...as viewed by someone....who doesn't." The whole exchange is wrong on so many levels. There is no dialogue, no reasoning from the scriptures and, definitely, no love being exchanged. The conversation is nothing more than two factions devouring each other with name-calling and judgment. While nobody wins in this scenario, it could have been avoided if the individual had either said nothing or tried to ask questions in an effort to start a dialogue. Unfortunately, this type of exchange seems to be the norm when it comes to online Christian "discussion." Out of curiosity, I visited the profile of this person and found a post that read, "Dear Lord, please help me to speak the right words, at the right time, with the right attitude so I might be effective in reaching some with Your truth..." Given that this post and the argument they ignited are about 10 months apart, one can only hope their prayer is a sign of God working on their heart and not an example of their hypocrisy.

Interestingly enough, the pastor of this ministry once said, “Religion makes you mean as a hornet.” Just like a hornet, they are unwanted, irritating and can ruin a good time. While I do not know the person who caused the uproar, I have encountered many like them over the years. And to the pastor's point, they are mean as a hornet and it can be traced back to their religious beliefs. Regarding the roots of the word religion, Webster's Collegiate Dictionary traces the word back to an old Latin word religio meaning "taboo, restraint." A deeper study discovers the word comes from the two words re and ligare. Re is a prefix meaning "return," and ligare means "to bind;" in other words, "return to bondage." That is eye-opening. To be religious means you are in bondage. That is what the Apostle Paul was preaching against. He wanted the Galatians, and all Christians, to stand in their liberty. Liberty means freedom; the exact opposite of bondage. Religion does put you in bondage. The individual mentioned earlier proudly embraced being called a legalist by saying they are one "who obeys God." There are different meanings for obedience. However, by making such a claim, I have to believe they have convinced themselves they are obeying the commands of God. In short, they are under the Law; i.e. a legalist. That is the ultimate form of religion. And if religion is bondage, it will make you as mean as a hornet. Why? Because the law is of no use without somebody to compare yourself too. And, in my opinion, misery loves company. Are prisoners happy? No, they are in jail cells wanting freedom. Are dogs in a kennel happy? No, they are in cages barking up a storm trying to get out. When people leave churches, it is often because they have encountered people like the one mentioned earlier. Once they get out, they want nothing to do with Christians, church or God. They don't need the hassle of the endless pressure to obey, condemnation for failure and the shame of not being good enough for God or His people. Religious people like this person are compelled to judge others for their perceived lack of obedience because only two things can result from comparing yourself to others; you are either better than other people or worse. One is religious pride. The other is self-condemnation. In this scenario, you see the religious pride that comes from convincing yourself you are being obedient to God. Both are of the devil! You can't love your neighbor when you are consumed with trying to be obedient to laws God never expected you to obey. Only when you are resting in the finished work of Jesus Christ and allowing Him to live His resurrected life through you, will you begin to receive the love that God wants to give to you. You will then know what it means to be free in Christ and "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36)."

Weeding the Lawn and Sanctification

"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want." Galatians 5:16-17

When I lived in California, we used to have to weed our lawn frequently. We'd get out there, and we'd pull them and pull them.  And if you didn't get them by the root, they'd grow back. Sometimes it seemed like they grew back anyway. And it's funny how the weeds seem to grow so much faster than the plants you really want in your yard. If you want to maintain a good yard or garden, how long will you have to pull weeds?  Will one weeding a season do the trick? No! You're going to have to plan on pulling weeds for the rest of your life. I was getting pretty tired of continually weeding, and one day a neighbor came along, looked at my lawn and said, "Bob, why don't you grow some good grass -- that'll take care of those weeds." And he was right. Here's what happens when you grow good grass --it chokes out the weeds. They die off, replaced by the lush green grass. In the spiritual life, this preoccupation with weeds is desert religion -- it's a continual preoccupation with sin -- and it's a backbreaking, never-ending job. But to be preoccupied with growing good grass is like walking in grace and freedom. The goal of the Christian life is not to pull weeds -- to stop sinning.  God calls us to walk by faith in Him. As we do, the result is that we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. The weeds are crowded out! So what do you want to do, pull weeds the rest of your life--or grow grass? To be in bondage -- or to walk in freedom?

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification..." 1 Thessalonians 4:3

"Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." John 17:17

The word sanctified comes from the same root word as "holy.' It means to be "set apart." It's not - as we often think - full of negative connotations, such as, "I'm sanctified and that means I've got my Bible under my arm and I walk with my head tilted to one side and kind of grin and act real holy with people." That's not what sanctified means at all. It's an extremely practical word.  Sanctification means to be set apart for the specific purpose for which something is created. For example, if you're wearing shoes today, you're "sanctifying" your shoes. You're using shoes for the purpose for which they were created. Shoes were made for your feet. If you've got them on your feet, you're sanctifying your shoes. If you were to hang them on your ear as a new kind of earring, you wouldn't be sanctifying them.  If you wear eyeglasses, you're sanctifying them as you wear them.  You're using them for the purpose for which they were created. They were created to help you see.  You've got them on -- you're seeing better--you're sanctifying your glasses. If you stir your coffee with them, you're not sanctifying your glasses. If you're wearing a watch and you glance at the time, in so doing you're sanctifying your watch. If you use your watch to crack peanuts, you're not sanctifying your watch. When you're sanctified by faith, it means that as a person has exercised faith in Jesus, you've been set apart from the entire world that does not believe in Jesus.  It doesn't mean that you wear your hair in a bun.  It means that you've been set apart by God because of your relationship with Jesus.  It means that you've been set apart for the intelligent purpose for which you were created--to be available to the living God for Him to live His life through you.  And yet because we don't believe that God has done His work completely, we continue to try to progressively sanctify ourselves by the way we dress, by the way we act, and by the way we speak. We make ourselves obnoxious by trying to improve upon what Jesus has already accomplished. The very moment you stepped out of Adam and into Christ, and Christ stepped out of heaven and into you, you were set apart, sanctified, from the rest of the world. So don't be afraid of the word sanctification. It's a wonderful word that confirms you're being used for the exact purpose for which you were created.

(Grace Stories, Bob George)

PK's

"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law." 1 Corinthians 15:56

Preacher's kid (abbreviated as PK) is a term referring to a child of a preacher, pastor, deacon, vicar, lay leader, priest, minister or other similar church leader. Although the phrase can be used in a purely descriptive way, it may also be used as a stereotype. And what is that stereotype? Basically, the stereotype of a Preacher's kid, or PK, is that this person is so weighted down by the demands of their preacher father to live a "perfect" life, that they eventually rebel into an avalanche of sin and unwholesome living. It is as if the father says to their child, "I expect you to live a life you cannot live and if you fail to live this life you will be punished by me, your mother, the church, God and live in shame the rest of your life." Besides having to deal with the normal pressures of growing up, there is this added expectation that just increases the burden of living. Not too long ago, there was a pastor embroiled in a drug and sex scandal which made national news. This pastor was forced to step down in shame. Not surprising, he was a "Preachers Kid." When this scandal broke a friend of mine stated, "With what he was teaching, he needed a little sin in his life." What my friend meant was that this pastor was teaching that Christians must live the impossible life they cannot live that I mentioned earlier. This impossible life is, basically, a life of being put under the law, whether God's law or the law of a particular church. It is a life that says you must identify and eradicate all sin in your life or you are a failure. What it leads to is more sin not less. In Romans 7:7-8, Paul writes, "What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet. But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting."" Paul says that without the law, he would not have known what sin was (in this case the sin of coveting) and, furthermore, sin took advantage of the law and produced in him every kind of coveting. In other words, the law may have identified sin for him, but it did not help him overcome or prevent that sin. It just gave him more sins to think about.

Therefore, the more laws we add to a person's life, the more we arouse sin in their lives. Why? Because, eventually, a person will seek rest from living this life of trying to identify and avoid sin and will turn to sin in order to rest! In other words, it leads a person directly into the life of sin they were trying to avoid. Now, you see why Paul said the "power of sin is the law." While not all Preacher's kid's turn out to fall into a life of sin, enough of them do to the point where the Christian Church as a whole takes a hit for it. Unbelievers will use it as an excuse to turn away from Jesus or listening to the Gospel. To them, they are like, "Why should I become a Christian when even Christian's can't live like Christians?" This could all be avoided if we just realized why God gave us things like the Law. He did not give the Law as a guideline for Christians to live by in order to direct us how to live sinless, obedient lives that are pleasing to Him. He gave us the Law to show us that we cannot live up to its demands, so we would realize that we need His grace and mercy. He gave us the Law to lead us to Jesus Christ. "Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor (Galatians 3:24-25)." The Bible says the Law leads us to Christ. Once we are in Christ, the law has done it's work in us. It shows us our sinfulness and spiritual death. We accept Jesus Christ as savior, receive the benefit of forgiveness and life of God for all eternity. Now, we live by faith; responding to the truth of God revealed to us through His indwelling Spirit. It is not about living the burdensome life of a Preacher's Kid under the law, but receiving the light burden of Jesus Christ, which is really no burden at all. "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).” Whether you are a Preacher's kid or not, if you have placed a saving faith in Jesus Christ, you are, in essence, "God's kid." Let Him live the life you cannot because He is the only one that can live it.

Full Acceptance

I came across the following quote the other day; "Nowhere in the New Testament will you find salvation is about "accepting" Jesus. Nowhere are you called to "accept" Jesus. Nowhere in the New Testament will you find salvation is about "asking Jesus into your heart." Nowhere in the New Testament are you told to "ask Jesus into your heart." Nowhere, nowhere, nowhere. IT'S NOT THERE. What you ARE told again and again and again is to repent and believe." When I read this my honest response was,"Seriously?" All of these phrases are descriptions of what people say when they are explaining that they have repented of their unbelief in Jesus Christ and accepted Him as their Savior. I have personally stated that I have "accepted" Jesus Christ. Nobody questions my salvation. What did the thief on the cross say to Jesus? "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise (Luke 23:42-43).” The thief just said "remember me." Did Jesus correct His wording? No, Jesus assured him that he would be with Him in paradise. How about the conversion of the Apostle Paul. "As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord (Acts 9:3-5)?” All Paul, know as Saul at this time, did was ask a question because he was so startled by what was happening! One could make an argument that Jesus didn't even give him the chance to "repent and believe." A few days later Paul had done an about-face and was preaching Jesus in the synagogues; conversion complete. And just for the sake of argument, what does Paul say in his first letter to Timothy? "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all (1 Timothy 1:15)." What deserves "full acceptance"? The Gospel; "that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." So, "acceptance" of Jesus Christ is in the New Testament.

When someone quibbles about these types of words and phrases it only turns people off of Christians, Christianity and, ultimately, Jesus Christ. It makes them appear to be a legalist as they try to conform everybody else to their standard of speech and question the salvation of those who don't speak in ways "acceptable" to them . The focus becomes the words we say instead of Who it is we are proclaiming. What we need to be asking people, if we are so concerned about how they are expressing their faith in Jesus, is, "What is/was your understanding of the Gospel when you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior?" Depending on how they respond then you can have a conversation with them, in love, about the particulars of the Gospel and Salvation. We have to remember that what people say is a reflection of what they believe in their heart. Therefore, quibbling about words is only dealing with the fruit and not the root. As I have stated before, from my experience, many Christians either don't know the full Gospel or, at the very least, how it plays out in their lives. It is up to me to reason from the Scriptures with them to see if there is something I can help them with in some way if they are open to it. It is also the same with me; if I am believing something that is wrong I have to be teachable and open to instruction and correction. We cannot learn any other way, unless you're someone like the Apostle Paul. In that case it may just take the Lord Himself to personally intervene. The Gospel is already provocative, controversial and offensive enough because of its uniqueness in stating that Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation available to mankind. The last thing we need to do is question the faith of brothers and sisters in Christ, who believe in the same Jesus we do, simply because they aren't wording their faith to our satisfaction. Jesus said, "For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart (Matthew 12:34)." If a person says with their mouth that they have "accepted" Jesus or have asked "Jesus into their heart," I am going to assume they have repented and believed in Jesus Christ and their words are a reflection of their heart.

Legalism: Putting Confidence in the Flesh

Legalism. What is it? There is no verse in the Bible that starts out, "The definition of legalism is ....." Nor does the Bible even use the term. Among Christians the definition of legalism varies as much as a person's own individual theology varies. If you type legalism into your search engine you will see definitions that sound a lot like this; legalism is "a doctrinal position emphasizing a system of rules and regulations for achieving both salvation and spiritual growth." A radio pastor described legalism as being "when your opinion becomes my obligation." That led me to wonder, "Who defines what is an opinion and what is a fact?" As you and I know everybody has a Bible verse or two to pull out to justify their "opinion." And, of course, when you are doing that everybody who disagrees with your "opinion" must be wrong or guilty of heresy or false teaching. With that said, I can offer my own definition of legalism. To me, legalism is when a Christian must obtain or maintain through works that which God has freely given them through faith in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul said, "Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh ... (Philippians 3:2-3)." Paul had some pretty harsh words for those who, as he put it, put confidence in their flesh. He called them "dogs," "men who do evil" and "mutilators of the flesh." I have to believe he was referring to the Pharisees and perhaps "legalistic" Christians; specifically those who preached that one must be circumcised in order to be saved. Many early Christians believed that a Gentile must first become a Jew before they are saved. Something Paul knew was unnecessary and was not in line with the true Gospel message of faith alone in Jesus Christ. 

However, how many Christians today are taught, not to be circumcised, but that they have to be water baptized, tithe, live sinless lives of obedience and repentance to laws, religious tenants, church doctrine, etc., gain membership in a church and so on in order to be considered saved or be pleasing to God? It is as one person correctly said, "Levitical Light." In other words, it is a modern day form of Pharisaical Judaism. It is doing nothing more than putting confidence in the flesh. Paul went on to say, "If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more. circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless (Philippians 3:4-6)." It is interesting to note that what Paul said he had attained, legastic righteousness, would have made him a superstar in most modern churches; an example to strive to emulate. Yet, what did Paul call it? "I... count them but dung (Philippians 3:8 KJV)." He said his efforts were crap, to be frank. Yet, Christians believe it is this type of behavior that God rewards, that God expects from us and that God rewards! Paul called it "dung" because it was all done in an effort to establish his own self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is nothing more than when a person believes, dare I say deceives, themselves into believing they have found a way to be obedient to God by their own works. It is religious pride. There is only two types of righteousness; self-righteousness and the righteousness of Jesus Christ. One comes from putting confidence in your flesh and the other comes from putting confidence in the finished work of Jesus Christ. You can't have both. You are totally forgiven, holy, sanctified, justified, accepted, loved and have eternal life because of your faith in the work of Jesus Christ on your behalf not because of your own misguided attempts to get through works what you already have freely been given through faith. You didn't earn your salvation by your works, you can't live the Christian life by works and you can't keep your inheritance in Christ by works. You were saved by faith in Christ and you live by faith in Christ. You are already righteous in the eyes of God because of what Jesus Christ did for you. Rest in that and be thankful. "But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith (Galatians 3:11)." Stop working and start resting.